Reflection
by thedeliverygod
Summary: Sora and Aqua discuss their similiarities, differences, and help each other deal with the hardships that they've endured over the past few years.


**I wrote this as an possible idea for an upcoming zine focusing on Sora but I unfortunately wasn't chosen as one of the contributors so I decided to just go ahead and post it so please enjoy~**

His eyes were glued to the horizon as he sat at his usual spot on the paopu tree, everyone's voices from the beach below blending in with the sound of the waves. Though there did seem to be one that seemed a little louder, slowly starting to break his concentration.

"Sora?"

His shoulders lurched in surprise as Aqua's blue hair filled his vision. "Whoa!" He leaned back and gave her a sheepish smile, "Sorry, guess I was spacing out."

"No, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to surprise you like that." She smiled back, waving her hands in apology.

"Is everybody looking for me?" His smile faltered a bit and he looked down at his lap, "I just needed a breather, that's all."

Aqua spoke quietly after letting a brief silence pass over them, "No, actually. I just… wanted to ask you something."

"Me?" Sora looked up and tilted his head curiously.

Aqua let out a laugh at the puzzled look on his face and nodded, "Yes, you. Would you mind taking a walk around the island with me while we talk?"

"Sure. It's just… You said it so seriously. Are you sure you want to talk about it with me and not Riku or the King or…?" He trailed off, scratching the back of his head.

"You're right, it is important. But yes, it's something I specifically wanted to talk to you about." She answered unwaveringly and Sora blinked.

"Okay. Well," He slid off of the tree and into the sand, giving another brief smile as he hit the ground, "Let's get going, then." As they crossed the bridge and started down the stairs to the main level of the island, he asked, "So what's up?"

Aqua parted her lips in surprise before she turned her head away, answering, "I don't want anyone to overhear, so I'll let you know when we're a little bit farther away. It's more of a personal matter."

"O-oh. Okay, got it." Sora replied a bit sheepishly, making a note to himself to keep quiet until she was ready to talk. Staring at his feet, he hardly noticed they safely made it to the other side of the island until Aqua finally blurted out her question.

"How do you manage to stay so positive?"

His head snapped upward, "Huh?"

She frowned deeply, closing her eyes and clenching her fists at her side as she continued, "I can't forgive myself… for falling to the darkness. I know, it's only natural, especially considering I was trapped in the realm of darkness for so long. I kept myself going for a long time, just thinking of Ven and Terra, but it wasn't enough. And ever since, I've just felt so weak. I-I was ready to give up at one point, in the Keyblade Graveyard. So I just… wanted to know. How do you keep going?"

Sora blinked in surprise, taking in all of her words and letting them sink in as he considered his answer.

"I feel like we've been through similar things, you and I." She continued, waving her hand between them, "But you've always seemed to come out stronger for it. So I just wanted to see if I could get your perspective of things."

"I don't know what to say, really. Because… I don't think I've handled anything better or worse than you did, Aqua." He gave a small smile, "Of course, we're different people, so we're going to handle things in different ways, but…" He looked away and stepped forward into the ocean, letting the small waves lap over his feet, "It's been hard for me too."

He heard her voice from behind him, quiet and surprised, "Really?"

"Yeah." He nodded solemnly, "I was ready to give up in the Keyblade Graveyard too, you know. Everyone had disappeared into the darkness except for me and Riku, and I thought it was over. Even though we still had each other, I could tell Riku was struggling. And since all of you are so much stronger than I am, I thought if you guys couldn't do it, then how could I?"

"But despite all that, Riku never gave up on me. He told me I didn't really believe that. And I guess, deep down he was right; I was letting fear think for me. And Kairi somehow kept me together long enough so that I could give everyone another chance. They both believed in me even when I didn't." A few tears gathering at the corners of his eyes, Sora turned back to Aqua, "Donald and Goofy have both done the same thing, more times than I can count. I wouldn't be here without them, without all of you. Which is why I felt so helpless when I was alone."

He wiped at his eyes with his hand and started to walk back towards her, "So I guess what I'm trying to say is… it's okay to feel that way. To be honest, what you're doing is probably a lot healthier; asking for help instead of trying to hide it behind a smile." He finished with a sheepish scratch of his head, "I've kind of got a bad habit of that."

Aqua's lips parted, but she was momentarily speechless. "I had no idea, I'm so sorry."

Sora flashed a quick apologetic grin in return, "It's funny, people always say I'm a bad liar. But I guess I'm pretty good at it when I don't want to worry anyone."

"Well, you can definitely talk to me any time." She pulled out her gummi phone and held it out before pocketing it again, "Especially since it's a lot easier with these."

"Heh, yeah." He agreed with a smile before he motioned for her to sit down, settling down into the sand himself, "And thanks, same to you. I'm definitely trying to get better at it. Kairi's pretty, uh, what's the word… intuitive, when it comes to reading other people's emotions. So she's managed to make me spit out a couple of things after catching me in a lie."

She laughed at that, nodding, "Kairi definitely is skilled at that sort of thing. But I'm sure it'd be much better for both of you to just actually have conversations instead of her poking and prodding you for answers."

"Like I said, it's a work in progress." Sora responded with an exaggerated pout, "But anyway, it has really helped to get all this off my chest so, thank you. I, uh… just hope that I actually helped you." He looked over to her sheepishly.

"Don't worry about that, of course you did." She smiled sweetly in return, folding her hands in her lap, "Even if there's no wrong or right way to react or feel about any of it, it does feel good just to have finally opened up."

Sora tilted his head, "So you think you'll talk to Ven or Terra about it?"

Aqua hummed before answering, "In time."

"Guess we really are similar." He joked and she rolled her eyes with a laugh. "Hey Aqua, can I ask you something too? It's more of a favor." His tone turned more serious and sincere.

"Sure, what is it?" She leaned forward a bit, staring at him curiously.

"Could you… help me train to take the mark of mastery again?" Sora's voice got even quieter and he stared down at the sand.

She looked away as well and gave a sad smile, asking, "That still bothers you, huh? You know you've technically done more than enough to earn the title."

"I know it's stupid." He turned his head away even more so that she could no longer see his eyes at all, "I just wanna do it the official way; like everyone else."

"I'd be honored to." She barely gave him the chance to explain before she answered.

Sora whipped his head around, mouth wide in surprise, "Really!?"

"Yes, really." She nodded, "I do expect you to come to the Land of Departure, though. Destiny Islands doesn't seem very fit for formal training."

"Yes, yes, yes! I'll do anything!" He came flying towards her, wrapping her into a tight hug, "You're the best, Aqua!" Immediately, he was on his feet and running back towards the other side of the island, "I've gotta go tell everyone!"

She stood up and shook her head, though she laughed quietly at his antics. "Sora, you really are one of a kind."


End file.
